Sicily

Beyond the Strait of Messina, Sicily is being highlighted not only for its large-scale production, which in 2009 gave about 6,175,000 hl of wine, for ¾ whites, but above all for some wines of absolute excellence, both linked to vines autochthonous such as nero d'avola and inzolia, and to some international ones such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, and chardonnay.
Viticulture develops above all in the western area and in the province of Trapani, the land of MarsalaDOC; here is more than 50% of the planted area.
Strange case, that of Marsala. Much appreciated once upon a time, fallen out of favor in the 60s for oneheavyloss of image, thanks to a more recent precise and rigid disciplinary, lately it is giving good results.
The most characteristic white grape varieties are catarratti, inzolia or ansonica, grecanicogold, damaschino and grillo, which are the basis for the production of most white wines. Among the red berried ones we can mention the Calabrese or Nero d'Avola, the nerello mascalese, the perricone or pignatello and the frappato, which give very encouraging results in different areas. Although it is appreciated for some great dry wines, Sicily is still much loved for the golden colors of its sweet dessert wines, for their aromatic nuances and the velvety softness of the taste, unmistakable in the Malvasia delle Lipari and in the Moscato.Passitoof Pantelleria, obtained from zibibbo or Moscato d'Alessandria.